Neha Mujawdiya from Melkheda village of Mandsaur district in Madhya Pradesh always feared that she would end up like most girls in the villages of India: married off at a young age, with no freedom to pursue their own dreams instead dedicate their life to taking care of their family. But Neha decided to break the cycle and founded a startup called TutorCabin that provides coaching classes in villages at affordable prices.
After completing her graduation near her hometown, Neha did her MBA and ACA from Indore, however her family kept insisting she return home. She shares, “Because of how people would taunt my family for sending me alone to the city, my parents would always keep asking me to return.”
Neha discovered that parents spend exorbitant amounts of money on coaching classes for their children, however they didn’t have great results. Neha explained, “There is a lack of quality in coaching classes which makes the lectures boring for students.”
Neha also realised that students in the small villages are not privileged to have such access to resources that help for better education, and not everyone can move to cities given their financial constraints or the societal stigma of sending girls alone for education and work. “If they (boys and girls of small towns) can’t go out of the villages for study, then why can’t study resources go to the villages,” Neha explained the idea that led her to start TutorCabin in October 2018 after about five years of experience and research in coaching students.
She added, “I started this with an investment of about Rs. 25,000 which I saved from earning through private tuitions.”
What is TutorCabin
TutorCabin is an online platform for “complete education solutions”, that not only bridges the gap between teachers and students but also trains teachers before they start coaching at TutorCabin. Students also take several tests to understand their interest and capabilities and they are then assigned teachers accordingly.
“Although every child is blessed with the same mental capacity, everyone has their own likes and dislikes. Some are more interested in math and some in other subjects. So we make sure that students are taking subjects that interest them and provide better teaching services accordingly,” explained Neha, adding that there are different teachers and classes for the different education boards, from primary school to college courses.
TutorCabin has hired 1500 teachers and provided coaching to thousands of students in India as well as a few cities in foreign countries like the United States. Off-line classes are available in cities like Bhopal, Indore and nearby cities of Madhya Pradesh so far. Neha said, “The coaching charges are very affordable so that village students can also afford it, but we don’t compromise with quality at all.”
Coaching for free
Apart from running an affordable coaching startup, Neha also provides free English speaking courses to anyone who is interested. She said that English is an international language and for small-town students, English is a barrier. The free coaching helps the students gain confidence and excel in their life. “I am from a small village and completed my school education in Hindi, so I know the pain of not having command over English. But now I am good at the language and also take some lectures for spoken English for free,”shared Neha.
So far, thousands of students have taken the course and they are doing great in academics and their careers. Apart from free spoken English courses, Neha also has free coaching for those who have lost their parents due to the coronavirus pandemic, and has provided these to around 150 students across India.
Neha shared that TutorCabin is making a revenue of more than Rs. 22 lakh this fiscal year. “In the previous fiscal year, we managed to make a revenue of Rs. 22 lakh, but now, we are in the middle of the fiscal year and we have already crossed that revenue. We are hoping to double that this year,” she said, adding that money is a secondary goal, “What I am happy about is that I am able to reach out to many students with better coaching services and resources even in villages.”
Change of society attitude
While Neha’s parents earlier bowed down to societal pressure and tried to bring her back home, now they are very proud of her achievements. She beams, saying, “Now they are proud of me and the other villagers consult me for their children’s education. Because of me, many girls are getting opportunities to study further in my village and surrounding villages.”
Awards and recognition
TutorCabin, for its better work has got many recognitions. It was recognised as top 60 startups via Kuberans House and won $ 5000 as prize money. Moreover, it has also been recognized by IIM Bangalore as the best edutech startup and ‘need for the society’. On top of that, it has been selected by the Govt of India and India SME forum to improve the Indian Education System and provide Quality Education.
This story is submitted by Bilal Khan and edited by Alfea Shaikh.
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